The True Extent of her Powers
by PebbleDrop856
Summary: What if Morgana never was kidnapped by Morgause and turned evil? What if she remained in Camelot, with her hatred of Uther uninfluenced by her? Would she still be the darkness to Merlin's light? Or would she aid in the union of Albion under her brother's rule? Perhaps the thousands years old dragon could be proven wrong? (Mergana, set after Series 2 with twist)
1. Change

"Merlin, you're talking way too fast! There's no time for this!" exclaimed Morgana. "Arthur is out there fighting the knights and here you are talking nonsense!"

"Let me explain again," Merlin said slowly. "You are some sort of vessel or life force for this curse. If you die, then the curse is lifted. I don't think you cast this curse on your own though. No, maybe someone else cast it and made you the vessel."

"Merlin, are saying that I should die? How could you? We've been friends all these years, you kept my secret, I helped you in Ealdor, why?" asked Morgana, confusion and worry in her voice.

"Morgana, listen. I don't want you dead. I do have a plan," said Merlin. "Listen."

Moments passed…

Morgause screamed," What have you done to her! You lowly peasant boy, unhand my sister and tell me what you have done!"

"Not until you call off this attack and take the curse off Camelot!" demanded Merlin. Morgana was in his arms, her life slowly draining away because of the poison Merlin had administered to her.

"Unhand my sister!" said Morgause.

"You know what you must do! Now do it!" demanded Merlin once more.

Morgause sighed and whispered words of magic, her eyes glowing gold. The knights immediately fell to the floor and Merlin could no longer feel the effects of the curse upon Camelot.

"Give me my sister. Now!" demanded Morgause.

"No, _sister_, I will not go to you!" Morgana yelled, her eyes opening. She revealed a vial in her hand and drunk its contents. Merlin had given her the antidote to the poison. It was a very slow-acting poison, slow enough for Morgana to continue using her senses while death slowly crept up on her.

"What is this?" Morgause asked, shock on her face. "Sister, how could you betray me like this?"

"I? Betray you? Let's have a talk about betrayal, _sister,_" said Morgana, eyes filled with shock and hatred. "You made me the unknowing vessel of your curse! I may want Uther dead but that does not mean I want to see my friends, the people I grew up with and have come to know, to die because of a curse you put on me!"

"You do not yet know your importance in the events that have yet to come. Sister, come with me, I will show you the way. The way you must go. The way that shows Uther Pendragon dead! Isn't that what you want?" asked Morgause, pleading with her. "How could you side with this peasant boy? He is only a mere servant!"

"A mere servant who helped me end this curse and attack!" Morgana said. "Now go! Leave this place before Arthur comes. I believe he approaches soon."

"This is not over. Morgana, you will see things my way soon. There is darkness inside you. A darkness I hope to unveil," Morgause snarled. She whispered in the magical language and a large tornado appeared at her spot. The wind died down and the woman was no longer there.

"What happened?" asked Arthur, bursting into the throne room with his knights.

Morgana looked on the verge of tears and she buried her face into Merlin's shoulders to avoid everyone see her shedding tears.

* * *

**{Author's Note: Hi everyone! So this is my very first fanfiction so I hope you enjoy it. As I watched this amazing show, I would always think that it wasn't entirely Morgana's fault she turned out to be the way she was. Most of the characters played some role in her betrayal, with Merlin poisoning her being the breaking point. So, I just imagined how the story would turn out if Morgana never got poisoned and kidnapped. It doesn't necessarily mean she'll be good or bad. I guess only time, and this story, will! **

**Please, please, please review! Like I said, this is my first ever fanfic and I would love to know what you all thought of it. More chapters to come hopefully! Now back to my homework...}**


	2. Warning

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone! I just want to say thanks to those who reviewed and followed the story! I'm glad you found it enjoyable. This chapter, by the way, takes place at the ending of The Last Dragonlord. I just felt sort of compelled to mention that, even though it seems pretty self-explanatory. **

* * *

"I am the last of my kind, Merlin. Whatever wrongs I have done, do not make me responsible for the death of my noble breed," the Great Dragon said apologetically to the new and last Dragonlord.

"You will leave Camelot and will never attack it again!" Merlin demanded, spear still in hand.

"As you wish, Dragonlord. But there is one matter that I must discuss with you before I leave Camelot," said Kilgharrah, stretching his wings to prepare for flight. "The matter of the witch. Morgana. Once again, you have allowed her to live and continue to dwell in Camelot. You continue to seal your fate and the fate of Camelot. The fate of Albion."

"You wish to bring her up? NOW?" exclaimed Merlin. "I'll have you know that during your attacks, she helped the people of Camelot get to safety and heal them. She was of more help to Camelot and Albion in this situation far more than you! And stop calling her a witch!"

"I've made it quite clear. You and her do not coexist on the side of the good. You are the light, and she is the dark. There cannot be one without the other. There is darkness inside of her, one that you must acknowledge if Albion is to come forth," said Kilgarrah.

"Get out!" yelled Merlin at the dragon.

Kilgarrah sighed and said," I leave you with a warning Merlin. Do not underestimate her. She may be a weak witch, but she does play a heavy role in the downfall of Camelot. "

With that, Kilgarrah took to the heavens with his newfound freedom and soared far from the vicinity of the kingdom, awaiting for when the Dragonlord calls him again.

Arthur woke up. He asked, "What happened?"

Merlin lied, "You dealt him a mortal blow."

"He's gone?"

"Yes, you did it!"

He exploded into laughter and grabbed Merlin by the neck in a friendly manner and made their way back to Camelot.

Merlin watched as Arthur and Gwen embraced. Then, he noticed Morgana was running to give him a hug as well. He returned it.

She said, "I'm glad you're back with Arthur. I thought you two were gone."

Merlin replied, "My Lady, you cannot get rid of me that easy. Unfortunately, the prat is hard to get rid of too."

She laughed and took her arms off Merlin. "We haven't had the chance to talk ever since Morgause left Camelot. I'm scared Merlin, what if – What if she sent the dragon here as punishment for me not joining her?" said Morgana. "She could keep sending monsters and monsters here."

Merlin looked at her calmly and said, "Morgana, Fath- I mean Balinor was the last Dragonlord, remember? No way was that witch able to control the dragon."

"Merlin, don't call her that! She's my sister remember? If she's a witch, that probably means I'm one too!" exclaimed Morgana.

"You're not a witch. You're a good person and you have a good heart. Remember what you said? Magic can be a force for good," said Merlin.

"MERLIN!" Arthur called.

"The prat already wants me? We'll talk later, okay?" said Merlin. He ran over to the prince, who had a long list of chores for him to do the next day. Mend the armor, polish the swords, clean the room, help with the damage to the castle, the list went on.

Finally he said, "And Merlin? I thought we talked about this. My father will murder you if he sees you with Morgana that way."

"Wait, sorry? I don't like, me and her don't-"trailed off Merlin.

"You better not. I'm really not in the mood to find a new manservant," said Arthur. "Even if the next one will do a far better job than you."

Merlin groaned and went off to the castle.

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**Author's Notes: Well, there's that. I'm really sorry that the first two chapters of this story are basically nothing but dialogue. I plan to change that in time. And this was a short chapter too, so sorry about that as well.**

**Anyways, as usual, please review! I'd love to hear what you all think! Feel free to even throw in a plot suggestion! **


	3. Dreams

**_Author's Notes: Wow, three updates in a day? I'm really surprised by myself. Well, it's actually technically the first update of the day since it's already 1 AM where I'm at, but whatever! Anyways, this chapter really is more of a filler chapter. I'll get to the action in time. Enjoy!_**

* * *

_"Morgana! It's the only way!"_

_"No! I can't do that! You'll die!"_

_"Trust me!"_

"NO!" screamed Morgana, awakening from her troubled sleep.

"My Lady!" said Gwen, rushing in with urgency. "Another bad dream? I thought you said they were over?"

It was true, Morgana's dreams have begun to cease being so violent and troublesome. Except for last night. She looked to her nightstand. The bracelet Morgause had given her was laying on it. Ever since the attack and curse, Morgana had stubbornly refused to wear it ever again. However, a part of her did not want to part with it. After all, it was her mother's to begin with. The mother that she shared with Morgause. She wondered if her mother was as evil and manipulative as Morgause. _No, my father was a good man. He would never marry a witch,_ thought Morgana. And yet, he managed to father a witch. Two witches. _No, Morgana, listen to yourself. You are a sorceress, not a witch. There's a difference_, she thought.

"My Lady, what is troubling you? You have not spoken," said Gwen, looking over at her friend. Gwen, so innocent and normal. How Morgana wished she could share that with her. However, she was not innocent and she was not normal. Despite everything, she still longed for the death of Uther. Maybe under Arthur, things would be different. _I might even be Court Sorceress_, thought Morgana, even though it was a pointless thought.

"Gwen, I am fine. Shall we prepare for the day?" asked Morgana, clearly changing the subject.

"But your dreams?" questioned Gwen.

"I figure it must be a come-and-go sort of thing. Do not fret, let us prepare," said Morgana insistently.

Gwen looked as if she was going to speak again, but instead she ran over and grabbed the large basin for the king's ward to bathe in. Somewhere nearby, Merlin was doing a similar task. With a large bump on his head out of Arthur's daily routine of throwing a goblet at him. Merlin wondered when the day would come that Arthur would throw a knife or sword at him. _Well, he is a bit of a clotpole to realize that_, thought Merlin mischievously.

"MERLIN!" said Arthur. "Where are the clothes you have prepared?"

"Right here sire," said Merlin, holding out the usual clothes the prince wore.

"I wore these yesterday!" complained the prince.

"Well, sire, you happen to wear almost the same outfit every day. It's sort of hard to tell which one is new or not," said Merlin.

"Get me the new clothes or I'll get a new servant," threatened Arthur. Merlin merely shrugged it off and returned to his master's wardrobe to pick out the new clothes.

After the bath and a long moment where Merlin literally had to dress the prince, the young prince was ready for a day of training.

When the two arrived on the training grounds, a shock came to them. Morgana was there in her armor, along with Gwen who looked quite confused. Arthur's heart leapt upon seeing Guinevere, something that had been happening a lot lately, but his eyes reverted back to Morgana.

"Morgana, what the hell are you doing on my training ground?" asked Arthur.

"Let's see, I'm here, in armor, at a place you call a training ground. I do wonder what that means," said Morgana with heavy sarcasm.

"You know women aren't allowed to be here to train," said Arthur. "Merlin, escort the Lady Morgana and Guinevere to her chambers."

"He will do no such thing," said Morgana. "A few days ago, you found me cowering behind a curtain, defenseless and scared. What if you weren't there? Don't you think those knights would have killed me off? How'd you feel then?"

"Morgana, you don't need to worry about there ever being a time where there was no one to protect you," said Arthur. "Merlin, I gave you an order. Follow it!"

Merlin said awkwardly, "My Lady, I do believe we should-"

"No!" exclaimed Morgana. "Arthur, all I ask for is one day. One day on the training ground. If you're scared that a woman will beat you, we can go train in the forest."

"What makes you think you'll beat me?" asked Arthur.

"Because I did it plenty of times before when we were children and I'm sure I can do it again," jeered Morgana. "Unless, of course, you, the great Arthur Pendragon, wish to back down from a challenge?"

And that go Arthur to agree. He didn't even bother to say "yes". He pulled out his sword and pointed it in the direction of Morgana.

"I'm not going to like beating you, Morgana," said Arthur tauntingly.

"Good think you won't have that feeling!" shot back Morgana. And the two commenced in a duel. Merlin and Gwen chatted in the background.

"What's going on with Morgana?" asked Merlin.

"Honestly, I don't even know these days," replied Gwen. "I think she's hell-bent on something, ever since that curse, but I have no idea what."

"I hope she's okay," said Merlin, looking over at their duel.

"I'm just getting worried about her, she doesn't seem herself these days," said Gwen.

Merlin nodded and he noticed Arthur fall to the ground. Yet, Morgana had not tripped him and there was nothing at his foot that could have tripped him. Maybe the royal prat lost balance. Morgana held her sword over his head, clearly demonstrating her victory.

"There we go, we're done here. However, I do want to see you in my chambers later this afternoon, there's something I want to discuss with you. Come Gwen!" said Morgana, dropping the sword onto the ground and helping Arthur up. And the two ladies were off, back to the castle.

"What the hell was that about?" asked Arthur to Merlin.

"No clue, but I think your knights want a word with you," said Merlin, pointing at the others who were concealing their laughter with much difficulty. Even Merlin wanted to laugh.

"Not a word, Merlin. Not a single word," muttered Arthur. "Well, knights? Let's get back to training! And remember, I slayed the dragon so I don't want to hear a word out of any of you!"

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**Author's Notes: I hate to sound like a broken record, but please, please review! I'd love to hear from you all! And I'm very open to plot suggestions!**


	4. Exchange

"You want _him_?" asked Arthur incredulously. Arthur was currently in Morgana's chambers. And unfortunately, it was only him and Morgana in the room. Guinevere was on an errand for Morgana. Not that this was of the matter, but Morgana had requested Merlin not be in the room as well. He found his eyes often looking at the door, hoping Gwen would walk through.

"If you are hoping for a visitor, I'm afraid that you'll have to wait a long while," said Morgana, with a knowing look in her eye. "Now, I'll repeat. Could I borrow Merlin for a day? Maybe tomorrow?"

"You want _Merlin_ as your servant?" asked Arthur again. "_Merlin_. Also known as the worst servant in the Five Kingdoms."

"Look, I just need to borrow him for a special task, okay?" said Morgana.

"What task?" asked Arthur.

"If I wanted you to know, I would have told you already," snapped Morgana.

"What am I to do without a servant?" asked Arthur. "And, you do realize that by having Merlin as a servant, he'll be the one to run your bath and dress you."

"I'll get Gwen to do those for me. And I, unlike you, know how to put on clothes. As for your servant, you can have Gwen after we're both prepared for the day," said Morgana, waiting for Arthur's reaction. Arthur's face brightened up and he seemed lost for a minute. Morgana simply disregarded this.

"I am not having Guinevere running around doing errands for me," said Arthur.

"Fine, then have her sit down all day, I think she'll appreciate that. Maybe even have a nice _long_ chat with her, talk about things, get to know each other more," said Morgana, her face creeping into a smile as she saw Arthur's face brightening up by every word she said. "Come on, we all know that you would love such an occasion."

"Is it that obvious?" asked Arthur, defeated.

"From the way you act like a fool around her ever since you got back from that hunting trip ages ago, yes. What happened on that trip anyways?" questioned Morgana.

"Nothing, I killed a beast, nothing more," lied Arthur.

"Yes, yes. So, is it agreed that I have Merlin tomorrow?" asked Morgana.

"Good luck with him," said Arthur. "By the way, why did you have to show up on the training grounds anyways when you could have just asked?"  
"I told you that already. I wanted to prove to you I'm not a coward," explained Morgana. "Now off you go! Unless you want to stay here until Gwen returns. Which could be ages. I wonder what we'll have to talk about," taunted Morgana.

Arthur left without another word with Morgana bursting into laughter afterwards.

* * *

_A cloaked figure was walking into the forest while two blurry figures ran away from it. The cloaked one merely laughed at their attempts to run. _

_"I am the one in control here!" shouted the cloaked figure. Words of magic filled the air and the two people who were running fell to the ground. _

_"Go! Leave me!" shouted one in an unidentifiable voice._

_"I will never!" shouted the other one._

Morgana woke up with a scream, with Gwen rushing into the room.

* * *

"Merlin, if you say one word, I will run you through," warned Arthur. It was already morning, the next day after his conversation with Lady Morgana. He had just informed Merlin of the agreement between him and Morgana, ending with the fact that Gwen would be assisting Arthur that day.

"I have not said a word, sire," said Merlin, smiling. He wondered why the Lady Morgana wanted to have him serve her that day.

"And you will keep it that way," said Arthur. "Now go, Morgana should be ready. I'll see you tomorrow Merlin."

"I feel like this is the closest I've ever been to a dayoff," said Merlin.

"Except you won't be spending it in the tavern."

* * *

**Author's Notes: I'm honestly not very fond of this chapter. Even the banter between characters seem stale. Sorry about that! I just needed to get Merlin and Morgana together for something to happen next chapter so stay tuned. As always, reviews and plot suggestions are very welcome here!**


	5. Leaves

"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN HOW TO KNOCK, MERLIN?" bellowed Morgana. "GET OUT!"

Gwen quickly rushed Merlin out of the room and into the hallway. The prince was wrong. Morgana was not ready for the day. Unless being undressed and sitting in a bath counted as being ready for the day. Gwen's face was completely blank when she escorted Merlin out of the room but upon out of earshot, she burst into laughter. Merlin joined it.

"Really, Merlin?" asked Gwen in between laughs. "Please tell me you didn't see anything."

"Her bath was behind a screen, remember? I don't know why she overreacted so much," said Merlin.

"I guess it really isn't the first time something like this happened, is it Merlin? Oh my, I need to check on my Lady," remarked Gwen.

"Isn't she mine today? Besides, you should be off with Prince Prat," said Merlin.

"Don't remind me! Why did Morgana do this to me?" said Gwen in frustration.

"You're not excited at all?" asked Merlin.

"It's complicated, Merlin. It really is complicated. Every time I look at him, I find myself in a sort of daydream. A relationship between us. A happy, beautiful one. But then, reality hits me and I realize that I can't do anything about it. I was born into my family and he was born into his. Unfortunately, those families are complete opposites," lamented Gwen. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with this. I need to return to Morgana."

"Gwen, one day, you will have your chance. You will be able to be at his side without anyone disapproving," said Merlin.

"It seems like there's always someone who disapproves," muttered Gwen before placing her hand on the door. However, there was no need to open it as Morgana had opened the door. Fully dressed.

"I'm ready now," she said, looking at Gwen and refusing to look at Merlin. "Goodbye Gwen and do come to me if Arthur gives you trouble. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye My Lady, Merlin," she said before going off to Arthur's chambers. It was noticeable that there was a little skip to her step.

"I swear Merlin, if you breathe a word of this little _mistake_ to anyone, you will be tossed out my window," said Morgana, staring daggers into Merlin's eyes. That's when she dragged Merlin into her chambers.

"Morgana, why did you want me here?" asked Merlin.

"No, we can't talk about that here. Not with the guards and everything and especially Uther roaming the halls. Get ready, we're going to the woods," said Morgana.

Sure enough, in the next half hour, Morgana and Merlin were riding into the woods that surrounded the outer walls of the castle. Merlin had packed them a lunch and food for the horses. Once they were far enough into the woods, Morgana halted for them to stop. They got off their horses and Merlin found them a log to sit on.

"Merlin, I can feel it," began Morgana. "I'm going dark. And there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"Morgana, we've been through this. You're a good person, you won't become a witch. Not like Morgause," said Merlin.

"It's in my blood Merlin! Every day, I can feel my hatred for Uther growing and growing and how much I want to end his life," said Morgana. "You don't know how it feels to be in the dark like this. To live in a world where you're not accepted but you're forced to live through it acting like you're one of them."

Merlin hesitated for a moment. _Tell her_, said a voice in his mind. _Tell her you have magic and you're a warlock_. Another voice, one that strangely sounded like Kilgarrah, told him _no, you cannot allow the wit- sorceress know your abilities. Gaius would kill you_. _Kilgarrah will eat you alive_.

"Morgana, you're not alone on this," said Merlin.

"Merlin, I am. The only people I can run to are the Druids and Uther wanted to kill them all the last time I went to them," said Morgana. "I'm glad I have you though. Someone who I can talk to about this."

Merlin smiled and gave Morgana a comforting hug. In time, Merlin swore he would tell her about his abilities. Today was just not that day. They sat there like that, quietly, observing the world around them. Morgana liked it. She was away from the castle and she was able to be herself. And she wasn't alone either. She had a friend with her. The leaves blew through the woods. Her eyes focused on the leaves. Suddenly, they started going in the direction opposite from the breeze.

"You are practicing?" asked Merlin.

"I figured since we're alone in the woods, I'd get the chance to actually do something with this," said Morgana. Suddenly, the leaves started forming patterns in the air. A flower, cloud, simple tricks. However, the leaves started to form a pattern that Morgana did not motion them to do. They arranged themselves more violently and quickly, unlike the breezy touch she had given them earlier. Suddenly, the leaves seemed to form a dagger. Merlin's eyes looked at her, wondering what she was doing, not knowing this was not her doing. That's when the leaf dagger hit the ground. It looked as if it had directly stabbed the earth.

"I didn't do that!" exclaimed Morgana.

"Impressive, real impressive, _sister_," said Morgause, appearing from behind a tree.

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**Author's Notes: Okay, so I'm just going to admit something here now. I am a Mergana fan and I think this chapter reveals it if the other ones have not. I actually didn't intend for this fanfic to go Mergana, but it just happened. Like it was inevitable. But yeah, I just wanted to lay that out there. So, anyways, please leave reviews! I'd love to hear from you all, regardless if you leave positive or negative reviews.**


	6. Fire

"Morgause!" exclaimed Morgana, standing up from the log with Merlin following her.

"I'm finding it really impressive that your Seer abilities are beginning to manifest into your magic. I've not heard of this occurring before," said Morgause, walking sinisterly in front of them. "But the dagger into the ground? What does this mean?"

"Morgause, what are you doing here so close to Camelot? Arthur's men are scouring the Five Kingdoms looking for you," warned Merlin.

"Have I not warned you before, servant boy, that you have no right to be in this matter between sisters!" said Morgause. "_Ástríce!_"

Merlin felt an invisible force knock him off his feet and onto the ground. Morgause then said, "_Forbærne yfel!_" A circle of fire erupted, surrounding Merlin. He was painfully reminded of the time when Edwin, the evil sorcerer who tried to take over Gaius's job as court physician, trapped his mentor within the ring of fire. It was a scary feeling, being trapped within fire. One move, and the fire would easily consume him.

"Morgause, let him go!" Morgana pleaded.

"He isn't even your servant, Morgana! Why do you feel such pity for him?" asked Morgause, not laying her eyes off Merlin trapped within the ring of fire. She raised her hand and her eyebrows flared, with her eyes turning gold. The fire rose higher into the air, so high that Merlin could no longer see the scene unfolding with Morgause and Morgana.

"Let him go Morgause!" Morgana pleaded once more.

Her eyes continued to glare at the ring of fire and then they softened, as if an idea formed inside her. "Sister, if you come with me, I promise that the servant boy will walk free. Even I couldn't hold the spell from such a large distance," said Morgause, looking at Morgana.

"MORGANA! DON'T!" yelled Merlin over the flames.

"Merlin! I- I have no choice!" said Morgana. "I'll go with you, Morgause."

"_Acwence þa bælblyse_!" yelled Merlin. A strong wind current blew through the woods and the fire immediately died out. Once it did, the golden light that filled his eyes still remained for a good few seconds. Enough for Morgana and Morgause to see.

"You have magic?" Morgause said incredulously.

"YOU HAVE MAGIC?" bellowed Morgana.

"Morgana, hurry! I'll explain later! Come on!" said Merlin, gesturing for Morgana to run away. Morgana snapped out of her confusion and ran with Merlin away from Morgause. Morgause merely walked behind them. _NO! It's going to come true, damn it Morgana, you're an idiot!_ Morgana's dream, the one where two people were running away from a cloaked figure, it was coming true. Morgana wanted to kill herself for even coming near the woods after the dream. She looked to Merlin as she ran. How? Why? How did he have magic? Why didn't he tell her before, after she had told him of her magic?

"_Ástríce!_" Morgause yelled into the air. Morgana and Merlin were knocked off their feet and onto the ground.

"I'm the one in control here!" Morgause said.

"Morgana, leave me!" pleaded Merlin. "Go!"

"I will never!" Morgana said. If the dream was going to come true, she might as well have said it according to script.

"Too late!" Morgause said, standing in front of them. She grabbed Morgana's hand and said, "I really should have done this earlier. _Bedyrne ús! Astýre-_"

As Morgause incanted the spell, Merlin attempted to free Morgause's hold on Morgana. He grabbed on to Morgause's arm and forced her to release her hold on Morgana. Unfortunately, the spell was already finished being incanted.

"-_ ús þanonweard!_" Morgause finished.

A tornado appeared by the forest, sending away two people to wherever Morgause wanted them to go. When the wind died down, Morgana found herself alone in the forest.

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, I feel really bad. My chapters lately have been really short. I'm sorry about that! Also, I kind of have a funny story to tell you all. Well, it was funny to me, I'm not sure if you all will find it funny. As I was going through the transcripts of some of the episodes (which I do to help me with the story) I realized that the title of my story is all wrong. The title of the story comes from when the Great Dragon told Merlin," The witch must never know the ****_full_**** extent of her powers". I guess when I started the fanfic, I remembered it as "true extent". Oh well! So yeah, I just felt like sharing that with you all. Just an honest mistake on my part and I'll just keep the story as it is. **

**In other news, I discovered the spells page on the Merlin Wikia page today! So, you'll be seeing a lot more actual spells in the story instead of "words of magic were spoken by [character name]" **

**Also, I really do plan to step away from so much dialogue in the story. For some reason, my writing always reverts back to dialogue between characters. I really want to change that.**

**Finally, I want to give a shout-out to yesthenLucky9 for the idea to have Merlin reveal his magic sooner! I honestly planned on being a dick like the show (jk I loved the show) and hold off his revelation to the near end but the idea to have it revealed sooner to Morgana sparked a whole new list of ideas on what to do with the fanfic. So thank you yesthenLucky9!**

**Please leave a review! I'd love to hear what you all think, positive and negative!  
**


	7. Together

Gwen was expecting it to be a highly awkward day. It had been ages since her and Arthur had a moment alone, the last being when he had seemingly fallen in love with the Lady Vivian and almost died at her father's hand. She wasn't sure what had transpired in her conversation with him. Somehow they had come to an indirectly spoken agreement to wait for each other. And, for the first time, she felt as if she knew Arthur's heart was broken. Broken when he found her with Lancelot. Lancelot. She wondered how he was faring. However, finding Arthur with Lady Vivian, she truly knew her heart was with Arthur. If only the universe would see it that way.

"Guinevere?" Arthur asked.

"Is there something you require, sire?" said Gwen.

"There's no need to call me that," said Arthur.

"There is every need, my Lord. Today, I am your servant," said Gwen plainly.

"You're much more than that," said Arthur.

"Arthur, we can't talk about this now," said Gwen.

"Why not? We're in the woods, alone," said Arthur. The two were riding through the woods. Arthur had managed to skip out on training that day. He would not have Guinevere bored and sitting down as he beat his knights around with a sword.

"I'm guessing this is why you brought us out here," said Gwen, a small smile on her face.

"I brought us out here so we could be alone but together," said Arthur. Noticing the smile that was creeping onto her face was delightful to Arthur. "Now come on, this seems like a good place." They had arrived at small forest clearing.

"For what?" asked Gwen, watching as Arthur dismounted.

"This," said Arthur, pulling out pillows, blankets, and food from his pack. "I had Merlin pack this before he went off with Morgana. Shall we have lunch together?"

"Arthur, there was no need to do this for me," she said as Arthur helped her dismount.

"There was every need," he replied, emulating her earlier words. She rolled her eyes and she began to help set up lunch when Arthur said, "No, today, I serve you. Now, uh- how do I lay out this blanket?"

"Here, I'll help you. How does Merlin deal with this?" said Gwen, laughing.

"With what?" asked Arthur as he tossed the pillows onto the blanket that Gwen had helped set down.

"Oh forget it," said Gwen.

Finally, their picnic was set up. They were laying on the blanket, with Gwen in Arthur's arms as they ate. They discussed their lives and how things would be much different if he was not a prince and she wasn't a servant. Even mention of a farm came into their conversation. Then, it all ended with a long kiss between the two after they found their faces so close to each other.

"Gwen! Arthur! Stop what you're doing!" shouted Morgana, appearing out of the woods. She had been running on her way back to Camelot. Her dear sister's appearance and magic had scared away the horses she had with her.

"Morgana? What the hell are you doing here?" asked Arthur, pulling away from Gwen.

"My Lady!" exclaimed Gwen.

"She took him! He's gone!" said Morgana desperately, ignoring the scene she had witnessed between the two.

"Slow down Morgana! What you talking about? And where's Merlin?" asked Arthur. Then, realization hit him. Merlin was gone. "Who took him?"

"Morgause did it! She appeared in the woods with us and tried to take me! Merlin, he freed me but got taken instead!" Morgana said. It took everything in her to fight down the urge to mention Merlin's magic. Why? Why hadn't he told her before about his magic instead of making her feel so alone?

"What were you doing in the woods?" asked Gwen, whose cheeks were still red from embarrassment of being caught.

"Not what you two were doing! That's not important! We need to get Merlin back!" pleaded Morgana.

"Come, we need to tell my father. And we'll say the four of us were together when this happened," said Arthur, rising from the picnic.

"What is Uther going to do? He doesn't care for anyone besides himself! He wouldn't send a single man out there to look for Merlin," said Morgana.

Arthur looked at her incredulously for speaking of Uther that way, while Gwen nodded her head in agreement. After all, she had been kidnapped as well and Uther didn't bother at all sending a search party.

"We should still approach him, he's going to suspect something if the three of us just leave on this search for him, which I promise we will search for him. We will do whatever it takes to bring him back," said Arthur.

With that, the three rode for Camelot. Morgana took Gwen's horse as Gwen and Arthur rode together.

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, there's a little Arwen scene for you all. I know it's not completely original, but I completely adored the picnic scene between the two so I thought I'd incorporate here without Uther ruining it (Damn you Uther. Well, it really was Morgana's fault, but I love her so yeahhh). But, of course, Morgana still had to come in. This was a really short chapter. I think I was facing a minor block when I wrote this. Even the title of the chapter, I spent looking over the story several times before I could find a proper name for it. And even then, it sounds "ehhh". **

**But anyways, in better news, I hit 1,000 views today for this story so I just want to say thank you to everyone who gave this story a shot and read it! It means a lot, it being my first fanfic. And thank you to all the reviewers and followers!**

**For those wondering about Merlin, don't worry, he'll have a scene in the next chapter!**

**So, thank you for reading this chapter and please leave a review!**


	8. Prisoner

Merlin felt the wind blowing across his face. He could feel Morgause's arm stuck in his hand but it was impossible to take off, as if some magical glue kept them inseparable as the teleportation spell took effect. In his magical studies, he had never come by a teleportation spell. It seemed to highly powerful. He wished he knew of a way to counteract it, a way to bring him back to Camelot, a way to get away from Morgause.

Finally, the wind died down and Morgause and Merlin arrived on a mountainous terrain. By the looks of it and his experiences with Arthur, it looked like the White Mountains. When the wind did die down, Merlin felt a hard slap across his face.

"A little close to Camelot, are we?" said Merlin, rubbing his cheek.

"You insolent little servant!" said Morgause, holding her hand up to give another slap. "How dare you interfere in my plans again? And you, you all this time had magic? It doesn't matter, I'm a High Priestess! You, you're hardly a warlock."

"You'd be surprised, Morgause," said Merlin, standing up.

"_Ástríce!_" incanted Morgause, causing Merlin to fall back on the ground. "Stay down!"

"Someone's quite fond of that spell. I'll show you my favorite. _Forbearnan firgenholt_!" said Merlin. They were in an area with mountain trees scattered about. There happened to be one over them. A rather large branch fell down from that tree and was descending upon Morgause.

Morgause held a hand in the air and simply said," _Gestillan_." The branch stopped mid-air, allowing Morgause to walk away from it, and then the branch fell with her out of harm's way. "_Swefe nu_! Sweet dreams, servant boy."

Merlin felt his eyes growing heavy. He resisted the urge to fall asleep. He knew that spell all too well. Unfortunately, that meant he knew how hard it was to resist it. His brain scattered his memories for the counterspell, but his studies of his book did not yield. Sleep was inevitable.

* * *

Merlin eventually woke up. Drenching wet with water and seeing Morgause holding a bucket. He was laid down on a hard, wooden floor and he was wrapped in chains. His body ached all over from those chains. _Did she have to do it so tightly?_

"Hello again, _sorcerer_," said Morgause. "You wouldn't believe the distance we went through to get here."

"_Abricaþ benda_!" incanted Merlin. The spell was meant to break free of the chains on him. Instead, it only tightened them even more, if that was possible.

"No, no, no, servant. You see, these chains are quite special. In the time of the Old Religion, they'd always be the shackles and chains of choice. The more you struggle, the tighter the chains bind you. Even if you don't struggle, you'll merely remain trapped," said Morgause sinisterly. She was sitting on a stone chair. Merlin observed his surroundings. The place was all too familiar. It was the same ruined castle he and Arthur ventured to when Morgause had won the fight with Arthur. The same place where they witnessed Ygraine tell Arthur of his mysterious birth. Merlin honestly believed her. It wouldn't be too surprising to know Uther's sacrifice to protect the Pendragon line and Camelot. But, he still had to stop his friend at the time. Arthur wasn't ready to be king and he would have greatly regretted murdering his father.

"I wonder if you're ever going to bother learning my name," said Merlin.

"If you're trying to be witty, don't bother. I'm not one to laugh. Ask Cendred," she commented. "Although, I do have to ask. Why? Why do you remain at the heart of Camelot, the kingdom who's led the abolition of magic?"  
"I wouldn't expect you to know," said Merlin, refusing to look in her eyes. "Why don't you just kill me off? I know you want to."  
Morgause disregarded this and continued, "And you risked your life for my sister. Why? If you knew the destiny that lies in front of her, you would not dare even approach her."

Destiny. An old friend of Merlin's. It was his destiny to protect the Once and Future King. It was his destiny to restore magic to Camelot. It was his destiny to aid in the unification of Albion. It was his destiny to prevent Morgana from destroying Camelot. How he hated the word sometimes.

"What destiny?" asked Merlin.

"To end the rule of the Pendragons and restore magic to Camelot. To end the tyranny that is the Pendragon family. And mine? My destiny is to be at her side when this all happens. To be her guide," said Morgause, wasting no time with the dramatic flourishes.

Merlin laughed. Finally, it all made sense. He said, "So, that is why you need Morgana so badly. You want her power. Well, I have news for you. Morgana is a good person and has a good heart. She'll never turn into a witch like you!"

"Convince yourself of that, it even makes myself feel secured with your delusions. And witch? It seems so _stereotypical_. I am a High Priestess of the Triple Goddess and Old Religion, do you not remember? That seems like a fitting more title. And as for your death? I would not grant you such a fortune. No, you will suffer. You will suffer for every plan of mine you have thwarted and for every lie you have told to hide your magic. I'd ask you to join my campaign, but you have made it quite clear where your loyalties will forever remain. It's such a shame actually, I see much potential in your magic. Oh well, there are far more capable sorcerers out there," she remarked. "I will enjoy this, _Merlin_."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well, here's this chapter! Thanks for reading and please review! **


	9. Denied

"I told you so," commented Morgana bitterly. Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana were currently sitting in Morgana's chambers after having a _friendly_ chat with Uther and him assigning _certain_ housing arrangements.

"Shut up Morgana," said Arthur.

"We need to get out of here," said Gwen.

"We will, Guinevere, I'll find a way," said Arthur with hope.

"Like the way you got us under house arrest, speaking to your father?" said Morgana, bitterness in her voice. And worry. With every passing second, Merlin could be dead. All because he sacrificed himself for her. She would never forget that. She thought that it was his act of friendship that leveled her anger and confusion about his magic. It was hard to be mad at someone who willingly went into the trap of a witch. But, because it was Morgana, she was still mad. She'd have a nice long chat with him once he came back. If he came back.

"I said sorry, didn't I?" said Arthur.

"Still doesn't change the fact we're confined to the castle," said Morgana. "I told you Uther wouldn't listen."

* * *

_Flashback_

_Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana arrived in Uther's throne room. Morgana refused to look at the oppressive king. They had not spoken since Morgana had "disowned" him. Even after the incident with Morgause, Morgana had refused to speak a word to Uther. She had Arthur explain to him it was Morgause who caused it all. Since then, Morgana had spent a lot more time in her chambers with Gwen. Really, the training grounds and the outing with Merlin in the woods was the first time she left the chambers. She did not dare say a word to Uther. Arthur seemed to have sensed the tension between the two lately, so he spoke on the three's behalf. _

_"What is it, Arthur? Morgana?" asked Uther. Even hearing him speak her name wanted her to throw a sword at him. Then, there was the fact that he didn't bother addressing her maid. _

_"Sire, the three of us, we were in the woods together," began Arthur. "With Merlin. Morgause showed up. She tried to take the Lady Morgana. There was a struggle, but it all ended up with Merlin being taken by Morgause."_

_"Arthur, why do I feel like I know where this is all leading to?" Uther asked._

_"Father. I want to request a search party to find Merlin," he said. _

_"There it is. Arthur, it's not that simple. Every search party that we've sent to go find Morgause since her attack on the castle has wound up dead, missing, or severely wounded. I've decided to call off the search for her. Should she attack the castle, we will defend ourselves," Uther explained._

_"What about Merlin?" asked Arthur._

_"I can't waste anymore men on this doomed search, Arthur! I hope you understand, after all, these are your men as well!" Uther said. _

_"Then allow me to go search for him!" pleaded Arthur._

_"Arthur, I am not going to lose my son over some petty search of a kidnapped servant. They can be easily replaced. The servant that is, not my son," said Uther. Morgana noticed a flicker of anger on Gwen's face._

_"You really are a tyrant and a coward, Uther Pendragon," said Morgana, staring daggers into his eyes. "If it was mine or Arthur's life out there, you'd say man after man to bring us home no matter how many died! You'd send the entire army! Here Arthur is only asking for himself to go on this search!"_

_"YOU HOLD YOUR TONGUE, MORGANA!" bellowed Uther. _

_"No, Uther Pendragon, you hold your tongue. Come, Arthur, Gwen. We'll go find Merlin on our own!" said Morgana, storming away._

_"Guards!" called Uther. The guards by the door prevented anyone from leaving. "You three, yes you too servant, are confined to this castle. Arthur, you have demonstrated to me before that you will defy my orders to get your servant. I will find a new manservant for you tomorrow. As for your Morgana, I do not want to hear a word out of you until I get an apology or you will be confined to the dungeons. Being confined to the castle is a luxury. Now get out my sight! The three of you!"_

_The three of them began to walk out of the throne room, with Morgana at the rear. Before leaving, she said, "Merlin should have let Arthur kill you. Obviously, you can't afford him the same gesture."_

* * *

"Speaking of Uther, why did you get so fired up at him?" Arthur asked.

"He's a tyrant. Tyrants deserve that," said Morgana simply.

"He's still my father, Morgana," said Arthur.

"At least you don't take up after him," said Morgana. "Now, we need to find a way out of this castle!"

"Don't let the guards hear," said Gwen. It seemed Uther assigned guards to be near them 24/7. They might as well have been arrested.

"Let them hear. YOUR KING IS A TYRANT AND A COWARD WHO CARES NOTHING FOR HIS PEOPLE!" bellowed Morgana.

"Morgana, stop! That won't help us get out!" said Arthur.

"Enough of this," said Morgana. "I'm going to go to Gaius to get my sleeping tonic."

"You're worried about that now? With Merlin kidnapped?" asked Arthur. "And people say I don't give a damn about him."

"I'm going to Gaius to tell him what happened to Merlin, he should hear it from me. I was the one who was with him," said Morgana. "You two stay here."

"Why?" asked Gwen. Arthur gave her a face that read, _oh, you'd rather not spend time with me?_ Gwen shot him a look that read, _no, no I didn't mean it like - oh forget it._

"Maybe you two can finish what you started in the woods," said Morgana, smiling at the two. "No, don't. This is my room, I'm not letting you make Arthur/Gwen babies in here."

"Morgana! Leave!" exclaimed Arthur. Gwen was too embarrassed to say a word.

* * *

"Come on, he has to have it! Something, at least," muttered Morgana. She was currently in Merlin's room at Gaius' chambers. Gaius was at a council meeting with the king and some other important figures in Camelot. He wouldn't know Morgana would be in there.

The room was a complete mess. Clothes were scattered about, Arthur's armor that needed mending was all in one corner of the room, and papers were all over the area of his desk. How could someone live in this? Then again, Merlin barely spent time in his room. He always seemed to be running around doing errands for Arthur. If that was the case, then how could the room have gotten this messy?

"Come on Merlin, I know you have it. Something like it," muttered Morgana to herself. "What is this?"

She noticed that there was one patch on the floor that was not covered by mess. It seemed random, but the entire floorboard was cleared off. She approached it and tested the floorboard with her foot. It seemed oddly hollow. She bent down and moved the floorboard with her hand. It came right off the floor. Peering inside, she found a large book that was bound together ornately. She perused its contents. Words that made no sense were all over the book, along with a description in English next to it and pronunciation.

"Here we go," said Morgana, smiling.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Badass Morgana, I love her like that xD**

**Anyways, thanks for reading and please leave a review!**


	10. Freed

**Author's Notes: Sorry everyone! I know that I had been growing accustomed to a daily update but you wouldn't believe the writer's block I had on this chapter. But, like most of the time, the best things come out of a block. You'll see what I mean... Enjoy!**

* * *

"Dine with me, Merlin?" asked Morgause, holding a plate of food over Merlin's chained body. The stone ground was so uncomfortable and Morgause made no motion to even prop him up on a more decent place to lie.

"I'm sorry, Gaius doesn't like me eating while laying down. He says that I could choke or something from that," said Merlin in a little child's voice.

"Still trying to entertain me, servant?" said Morgause. "I should feel flattered, but I don't."

"Just kill me off already, why don't you?" asked Merlin.

"No, no, no, we've talked about this before, servant. Somehow, you've managed to put yourself in the hearts of the royal household of Camelot, excluding Uther, of course. Do you despise him? Of course you would, he's been after your kind ever since he consorted with magic to bring about the arrogant prince that is Arthur," said Morgause.

It was one thing for Merlin and his friends to make fun of Arthur, but hearing it from Morgause made him want to vomit. As if she had any knowledge on the friendships and loyalty of Camleot. He remained quiet, refusing to give Morgause the satisfaction of him speaking.

"Quiet at the moment, aren't you? Well, all I asked was for you to dine with me. I figure you'll starve instead," said Morgause, walking out of the ruined castle leaving Merlin lying on the cold, hard ground.

* * *

Hours passed and Morgause did not return to Merlin. He longed for some way to get out of the chains. He was tempted to try another type of unlocking spell, one that may not be known to the chain's enchantment, but he did not give in. He could not risk the pain of being strangled. It seemed like he had one or two more spells before the chains would completely force the life out of him, the same way a large snake would ensnare its food and suffocating it. He thought about summoning the Great Dragon. Surely he must know an ancient way to break free of the chains. But, unfortunately, Merlin was in a chamber too small and too far inside for the dragon to come in. Of course, he could have smashed the walls in, but that would just lead to a badly bruised Merlin. Most likely a dead Merlin, actually. Also, the walls of the chamber seemed almost enchanted. They were overrun with vines and cracks were evident all over. It seemed to take some magic that kept the walls safe and sound.

* * *

"Merlin? Merlin, where are you?" said Morgana, walking into the chamber in the dead of the night.

"Wha- Morgana!" said Merlin, realizing the woman who had walked into his chamber. He had been asleep. Somehow, despite the pain of the chains, he had managed to fall asleep.

"Shut up Merlin!" whispered Morgana. "Where are you?"

"On the ground. Morgana, how did you get here?" asked Merlin quietly. "_Leohtbora_." A torch on the wall began giving off light. Morgana found Merlin laying on the ground in the chains and resisted the urge to make fun of him. It was a desperate situation at the moment.

"I'll explain that later, how do I get you out of this?" said Morgana. "I brought my sword."

"No sword!" whispered Merlin in a panicked voice. "I think I remember these chains from my studies. The way to get out of them is to have someone else say the spell. If I say it, it'll strangle me. Wait, is there someone else with you?"

"I came alone, please don't ask why and how. There's no time for that. Tell me the spell," she said. "Is it simple enough?"

"It should be. Repeat this and summon your magic, like the way you control the leaves. Instead, focus on the meaning of the spell, which means to 'break the chains'," explained Merlin. "Abricaþ. Benda." He said the words slowly and carefully, not because Morgana needed it said like that, but because he wanted to make sure magic did not go along with the incantation. Luckily, it didn't.

"_Abricaþ benda!_" incanted Morgana. Nothing happened.

"Try again, it takes some time."

"_Abricaþ benda! Abricaþ benda! Abricaþ benda!_" incanted Morgana over and over again. On the last try, she had a murderous look on her face and the chains managed to break. Perhaps they were scared of the look, but Merlin had suspected it was because she had said the last incantation slightly differently. But the look was scary. Merlin stood up, causing the chains to succumb to gravity and fall onto the ground.

"At last," Merlin said, stretching. His words were met with a slap on the face. "Hey! I didn't mean that I was getting impatient with you saying the spell!"

"How dare you, Merlin, hide your magic from me while I feared my magic? How dare you made me feel so alone and afraid while all this time you had magic?" vented Morgana, the murderous look returning to her eyes. Then, after a few moments, the look was replaced by one of someone who was broken down.

"Morgana, please, I really am sorry. I- I was afraid too. Gaius and the Great Dragon-"

"Gaius knew? And what dragon? Are you talking about that crazy dragon that started attacking-"

"Allow me to explain, will you?" intervened Merlin. "Anyways, they said that if I told you about my magic, it- it would just make everything worse. But I don't care about them anymore."

"How would things get worse?" asked Morgana, the pained look on her face remaining.

"Morgana, the crazy dragon told me you can never know the true extent of your powers. But, like I said, I don't care about them anymore. I'm telling you and I'm telling you everything."

"What changed your mind? The fact that you were stuck in a ring of fire?"

"The thing that changed my mind, the person I mean, was you."

"Me, what are you talking – "

Her sentence was interrupted by Merlin placing his lips upon hers.

* * *

**Author's Notes: MERGANA, MERGANA, MERGANA! You all do not realize how long I've been planning this moment! And then, when my block came, I realized it would be the perfect timing for this to happen. I was originally gonna go canon have the Great Dragon rescue him, but you can see where this went. So, I feel a little cruel ending this chapter so short and on such an event like this, but I had to! It just felt, ****_right_****. You know what I mean? **

**So, wow, I'm at 3,000 views already. Thank you so much to those who read my story and a special thank you to my followers and reviewers! You all are the best!**

**Kudos to anyone who got my T-Swift reference (and as much as I love the song, it was not the words "safe and sound"). I really hope I don't lose viewers by referencing her... xD the song had come on the radio when I was typing that scene and I just ****_had_**** to**

**So anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter! I'm deciding whether I should be cruel and cut back to Arthur and Gwen at the castle or continue this moment. Jk, I really want to type up the next chapter with Mergana and publish it ASAP**

**So, thank you for reading and please review! **


	11. Woods

_Flashback from Chapter 5 - Leaves_

_Being in the woods with Morgana, Merlin realized something. Watching her play with her magic and the leaves, it didn't make him feel so alone anymore. There was someone else, someone else with magic that he did not have to hide from, someone he didn't have to keep secrets from. Yes, there was Gaius, but he was a retired sorcerer and only used it on dire situations. He didn't understand. He didn't understand that every morning, Merlin woke up with the fear of his magic being revealed that day and his body burned by night. Being alone with Morgana, he realized that she understood how he felt even if she didn't know he was feeling that way. Being with her, he wasn't alone anymore. Why had Gaius and the Great Dragon warned him against her? There was nothing wrong with her. She had magic, that was all, and there was nothing wrong with that at all._

_It was also, in that moment, he realized he had feelings for her. He could never imagine this realization happening to him, but it did. She looked so beautiful in the daylight and so innocent playing with the leaves. He never felt this way with someone, not since….. Not since Freya. He never thought that someone could have his heart again, not the same way Freya had stolen his heart. But it happened, Morgana did it, unknowingly. Maybe there would always be a small place in his heart for Freya, the memory of a lost love that would never fade. _

_Merlin was upset with this realization. How would a Lady of Camelot love a servant? Yes, there was the prince loving a servant, but he felt as if that was an entirely different story to its own. She would never feel the same way for him, a deep regret he would be forced to hold._

* * *

Merlin was proved wrong. He felt Morgana's lips kiss him back, her arms traveling around his neck. It was perfect. And it was their own kind of magic.

"Well, well, well, this is highly interesting," said Morgause, appearing by the doorway of the chamber.

"Morgause!" said Morgana bitterly, pulling away from Merlin. She drew her sword.

"Morgana, behind me!" said Merlin. "_Oferswing_!" Morgause was pulled far into the chamber and away from the doorway, allowing the two the chance to escape through it.

"_Gehæftan_!" incanted Merlin on his way out the chamber. The vines that overrun the walls of the chamber began slithering their way to Morgause's arms and legs and ensnared them into a trap.

"Morgana! Get back here!" called Morgause as the two ran away from the ruined castle.

* * *

It was too late in the night to travel back to Camelot. They could have used magic to travel, but they were still in Camelot's lands.

"We need to retire," said Merlin.

"Merlin, that witch of a sister could be right behind us, we must keep going!" said Morgana urgently as she continued trekking through the dark woods on her horse, leading the way. She had also brought Merlin a horse. He noticed she was distancing herself from him ever since they kissed. It hurt him a little.

"Morgana, Camelot's a couple of leagues away from here. We need to save our energy for the morning," said Merlin, bringing his horse besides hers and looking into her eyes.

"Fine, I'll take the first watch," she said.

"Allow me, I was sleeping when you came. You need rest."

"I'm going to be fine, just get some sleep," she snapped, dismounting from her horse and walking away from the clearing the two had arrived in. He saw sit on a log, her back turned to him. He sighed and walked over to him. When she noticed him arrive, she turned away. Her arms were folded, more out of the coldness of the night rather than her ignoring Merlin.

"I thought you were going to sleep?" she said, still turned away.

"I can't," he said simply, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her. "Here, you look cold."

She did not bother taking it off, but she remained quiet. However, she did turn herself forward instead of having her back to him. They sat there in the quiet night for a good amount time.

Finally, she broke the silence and said, "I'm still cold."

He laughed and pulled his arm around her. "Better?" he asked.

"I was actually hoping for magic, but this is fine too," she said, smiling.

"There's many types and forms of magic. Technically, this is one type of it," he said, happy she didn't pull away from him.

"Oh yes? And what type of magic is then?" she asked, even though she knew the answer. She laid her head on his shoulder, willing for him to answer.

A moment or two passed and he replied, "Magic of the heart. Most powerful of magic actually."

This time, Morgana leaned in for the kiss. And, this time, it went uninterrupted. There was no Morgause, no magical attack, and no bandits, nothing to stop them besides themselves. Merlin pulled her even closer to him, if it was possible. It felt nice, having her warmth with his was a comforting feeling. He couldn't help but remember the last time he was in a dark place alone with someone he cared about, kissing. He pushed the memory out of his mind. Without really meaning to, he pulled away.

"Is something wrong, Merlin?" she asked, confused by his withdrawal.

"Morgana, what are we doing?" he asked.

"It's sort of obvious what we're doing," she said.

"I mean, you've never shown signs of any type of feelings for me."

"You exactly haven't been sending love poems or anything of the sort up my window either," she replied. "I don't know, I just feel _drawn_ to you. I don't know how to explain it. You found me in a time where I thought I was a monster, cursed with magic. You comforted me and told me all these nice things. I just couldn't help begin growing feelings for you. And then, finding out you had magic, it just made me feel so not alone anymore."

"I- I feel the exact same way," he said.

A silence followed his comment and she said, "I'm going to bed, you take the watch."

"What? I never even got to sleep!" complained Merlin.

"That's what you get for staying up and _wooing_ me while you could have slept. G'night Merlin!" she said, smiling and winking at him. He rolled his eyes playfully in response and took a position watching their little camp. His eyes traveled to the dark sky. It was a full moon that night, whose rays of moonlight still casted into the forest. Staring into the sky, a thought occurred to him.

_What happens when we return to Camelot?_

* * *

**Author's Notes: You'll have to excuse me on the excess of love in this chapter. Last night and today, I found myself watching episodes of Merlin, typically the ones where there's love involved. I don't know why, I think I probably needed inspiration or something to write this chapter which I found surprisingly difficult to type. So yeah, now I'm really upset over Freylin (As much as I love Mergana, Merlin really did deserve a few more episodes with love and happiness with another) which I think somehow gave me some form of inspiration to write this chapter. I guess that's also why I felt the urge to bring in the memory of Freya.**

**Also, I'm working on a new Merlin fanfic! It's a modern AU reincarnation fanfic. I'll keep you all posted with updates on that and when I plan to release it. Unlike True Extent, the new fanfic will be more planned and concise than this one (I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but this is a sort of "go-with-it" storyline, meaning I have notes on my phone with a million plot ideas and no exact way to tie them together. But, I sort of have the ending of this story planned out, which could either be a good or bad thing.) Also, if the writing style of this fanfic starts getting a little awkward or whatever, please excuse that. The new fanfic I'm working on is a completely different writing style and POV than what I'm used to, but I think it's necessary for it.**

**Well, that's all! Thank you so much for reading and leave a review please! Stay tuned for the next update!**

**(P.S. To anyone who was searching for the TS reference in the previous chapter, it was when I said Merlin was "lying on the cold, hard ground". I Knew You Were Trouble came on the radio when I typed up that scene, so yeahhhh). **


	12. Revelation

"Sire, I care about the Lady Morgana as much as you do. She's my favorite patient, I've treated every illness and wound of hers since birth," said Gaius to the king. He hid his worry of his ward Merlin being kidnapped. How the old court physician missed the young warlock but he knew Uther would never consent to a thorough search for him.

"Then you support my decision?" Uther said to the court physician, knowing the answer to his question.

"Sire, Sir Leon has mentioned over and over that the scouts on our border between Cendred's land and Camelot is increasing by the day," said Gaius. "Surely you know what this means?"

"If Cendred attacks, then we will defend as we always have."

"Sire, that will not happen if you send all these men to search for the Lady Morgana. We will surely lose," advised Gaius.

"Gaius, please, I need to have Morgana back. No matter what has been said and done, I care for her more than anything," said Uther. He paused for a long moment and continued, "She is my daughter."

"I understand how the feeling of fathering her- "

"No, Gaius, she _is_ my daughter. Long ago, when Sir Gorlois was away on the Northern Plains for a long time, his wife grew lonely. Morgana was the result of this affair. Now that you know, will you please support my decision on this?"

It took everything in Gwen not to drop the clothes she had in her arms as she passed by and heard this dark secret of Uther. She ran away swiftly, not wanting it to be known that she had been in the corridor of the room in which Gaius and Uther were discussing privately.

* * *

"I heard what I heard Arthur!" said Gwen to the prince. "Do you not know what this means?"

The prince of Camelot stared at the girl of his dreams with shocked realization at the information she had conveyed. It was a stressful two days for the royal household of Camelot. First, Merlin had been kidnapped. Arthur tried to hide his worry for his manservant, but Gwen knew he was dying inside with the disappearance of his friend. Then, Morgana vanished in the middle of the night. No sign of her, no guards had seen her, no footprints, with the only clue that two horses were missing from the royal stables. Gwen hoped that her friend and mistress were doing alright. She had a nagging feeling that they together somehow. She wondered if this was one of those "funny feelings" that she so often heard Merlin and Arthur discuss. Apparently, Merlin had a knack for them. Finally, the news of Morgana's true parentage that was supposedly revealed to only one person was then spread to Morgana's half-brother and servant. Gwen felt as if hell was about to break loose in the royal household.

"Morgana – She's my sister?" asked Arthur tentatively, as if hoping the fact was not true. How could his father have hid this information from the two of them? Morgana certainly had a right to know, even Arthur. After all, should his life be taken while he was heir, he would be assured someone would take the throne after Uther. Plus, she was his bloody sister!

"Arthur, I don't know what to tell you, I honestly don't," said Gwen, comforting him by placing her hand on his shoulder.

He grabbed her hand in a loving manner and said, "I don't know what to say in this matter either. It is thankful that she isn't here."

Gwen shot him a look that read, _how dare you say that_? Arthur replied with, _I didn't mean it like that!_ It was becoming a usual habit between the two to converse privately with facial expressions.

"If, I mean when, she returns to Camelot, we will tell her, won't we?" asked Gwen.

"How would she react to that? She's made it quite clear that she cannot stand my, I mean our, father," Arthur replied.

"She has a right to know!"

"I understand that Guinevere, but her well-being is also at stake."

"You're saying she won't know her true father?"

Arthur felt an urge to turn around to see Merlin and ask him of his opinion on the matter. It was becoming a bad habit, but the servant surprisingly had a good insight on what to do in the matters on court. He then realized that he wasn't there. He missed his servant greatly, although he'd never admit it. Ever since his kidnap by Morgause, Arthur felt a certain type of void in the royal household. It didn't feel right without Merlin roaming the halls doing whatever it is he did. Arthur swore the next time he saw Morgause, he'd run her through for taking Merlin away from Camelot.

"I need to find them," blurted out Arthur.

"What are you talking about?" Gwen asked.

"Merlin. Morgana. I need to go out and find them. They're together, I just _feel_ it," said Arthur. A determined look was flickering on his face.

"Arthur, the guards. We're still on house arrest."

"I doubt it. My father is probably pulling all the men he can get to search for Morgana. But I refuse to not be on the search for her. And Merlin, although I doubt my father pulled any in to search for him."

Gwen sighed and said, "Okay, I'm coming with you."

"Guinevere, I would appreciate your company on this. However – "

"You bring me along or I go to Uther and tell him you left while under house arrest," threatened Gwen. "Arthur, I can fight, I assure you of that."

Arthur took a moment, but then answered, "Fine, but we need a way out of this castle."

"Allow me, I've been thinking of this plan for awhile now."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Apologies for the lack of Mergana in this chapter, but I promise the next one will have it.**

**Thanks for reading and please review! I appreciate and love every review I receive on the fanfic**


	13. Found

_A dark-haired woman looked over the kingdom of Camelot, wearing the crown of a queen. Her hair was a massive, tangled mess upon her otherwise beautiful visage. Her eyes were filled with violence and hatred but underneath it masked the eyes of a woman who had seen all the hardships of the world and had faced several on her own. There was another woman. An older blonde-haired woman who looked nothing like the one wore the crown yet they stood side-by-side in a manner that close sisters would._

_Knights of Camelot were gathered as prisoners in Camelot's town square. Knights that the dark-haired woman had known all her life, some who were childhood companions of the woman. Yet none of those knights showed any sign of ever knowing the woman who appeared to be their queen. They looked at her with such defiance, such disgrace, and such sadness. The blonde-haired woman showed no sign of compassion or regret to the decision that she knew the alleged queen would make if things did not go their way. However, the "queen" kept her expression of violence and hatred, but masked her remorse deep inside. _

_The "queen" moved her hand down in the motion of a signal. The soldiers of the queen turned their crossbows from the knights and onto the innocent citizens of Camelot._

* * *

"NO!" screamed Morgana, feeling as if she had just murdered the citizens of Camelot. In her nightmare, she did.

"Morgana! I'm coming!" shouted Merlin, rushing into the clearing they had made their camp. His arm was outstretched, waiting for a spell to be cast and for his eyes to glow, expecting to find a bandit who had taken her. It was not needed. No spell could stop the tears running down Morgana's cheeks. No spell could hide the sadness she emulated upon awakening. She covered her face in her hands, attempting to hide the tears from him, but he knew what was going on. He pulled his arm down and sat next to her, wrapping his arm around just as he had last night.

"Merlin, please, stop," said Morgana. She enjoyed his comfort against her, but she felt like a monster. A monster who would kill without hesitation. A monster who could end up killing the man in front of him who she had developed intense feelings for in the past weeks. "I don't deserve this. I'm going to be a witch."

Merlin took her hands off her crying face and held them into his. He maneuvered her hands to be cupped open over his own hands. "_Blóstmá_," he whispered. A lavender rose appeared within the palms of their hands.

"Tell me, could a monster do that?" asked Merlin, smiling at the flower in their hands and he was happy that she had not pulled away from him.

"But you did that, I didn't. And any person with magic can do that," protested Morgana, still admiring the flower in between their hands.

"And yet the 'monster' is still holding it," said Merlin.

"Merlin, I have dreams. My dreams involve me looking like a witch who lived in a hovel and taking over Camelot, killing people along the way. And my dreams always come true. I'm fated to become a horrible, killing witch," Morgana said, the memory of the citizens of Camelot dying at her hand still fresh in her mind.

"Fate is in the hands of the fated," Merlin said, his wisdom going beyond his years.

"You're saying I have a choice?"

"There's always a choice."

"What if I make the wrong choice?" asked Morgana. "What if I give in to my dark magic and lose everything and everyone. Camelot, Gwen, Arthur, _you_."

"I won't let anyone or anything, including magic, take you away from me," said Merlin, staring into her gray eyes with determination, while she stared into his blue eyes with hope. This time, both leaned in for the kiss.

* * *

"That was your great plan Guinevere?" asked Arthur.

"It worked, did it not?" countered Gwen.

"Smacking the heads of the guards with a frying pan and running to the horses does not come by as a great plan," muttered Arthur.

"I said I had a plan, not a great one. Besides, we need to find Merlin and Morgana and that was the best I could think of," said Gwen.

The serving girl and prince were trekking through the woods on horses, carefully evading any sign of Camelot guards or patrols. They traveled over the land while conversing lightly. Small-talk and hidden glances at one another. The mission at hand weighed heavily on their minds.

"Arthur," Gwen began. "Do you have any idea where we're going?"

"The only place I can think of where Morgause could be," said Arthur. "An old ruined castle where she fed me lies of my birth."

"You remember where that is?" asked Gwen. "It happened months ago."

"Slightly," admitted Arthur. His eyes raised in alarm as he held his hand up to signal Gwen to stop. She looked at him with worry as she quietly drew the sword at her side while Arthur did the same. Voices were heard, conversing quietly it seemed but still noticeable. The two dismounted from their horses and quietly crept onto the sight of the noise.

Upon seeing the origin of the voices, Arthur wished he had rather seen bandits.

"My Lady?" exclaimed Gwen, rising from the bushes in which she was hidden with the prince.

"Merlin!" exclaimed Arthur, following Gwen into the clearing where he saw his sister and his servant friend kissing with strong intensity.

"Guinevere! Arthur!" exclaimed Morgana in embarrassed shock as she withdrew from Merlin, still holding the lavender rose in her hand.

"Merlin, you bumbling idiot! What the hell are you doing?" said Arthur, sticking his sword into the ground as he walked angrily into their clearing. Gwen followed, her hands over her mouth to conceal her smile at her two friends but her eyes of delighted surprise made her action useless.

"Breathing. Talking. Standing. Living," listed Merlin, hopefully calming the prince.

"Not for long, you bumbling idiot!" yelled Arthur.

"Do you have any other insults at me besides 'bumbling idiot'?" said Merlin, who was truly hoping to lighten the mood of the prince.

"There's Dead Man, but it doesn't have that much of a ring to it," said Arthur. He pulled his friend aside, away from the ears of Gwen and Morgana.

"Did I not tell you the hell my father will put you through if he saw you with her like this? He'd have your head for this!" whispered Arthur to Merlin.

_As if he didn't have enough reason to,_ thought Merlin. "Arthur, please. I'm asking you of this as a friend, which I know we are even if you're too thick to admit it," said Merlin. "Don't tell Uther. I'll be careful."

Arthur's face immediately lightened up and pulled his arm around the warlock's shoulders and said, "Look, Merlin, I was only hoping you'd be reminded of my father and the chopping block. Who am I to judge your relationship? Remember who I'm in love with," said Arthur, glancing at Gwen who was conversing with Morgana on the matter. "But, I swear, you hurt my sister in any way- "

"Don't worry, I won't hurt – Wait. Sister?" exclaimed Merlin.

Arthur's face turned into shock at the information he had just revealed and said, "We'll talk about that later."

"No, now seems like an amazing time for this."

"When do you get to decide when the time is right?" asked Arthur.

"The same day your father made me your servant," said Merlin. "What are you talking about? Sister?"

Arthur sighed, "Uther is both our father. Merlin, I am asking you this personally. Do not tell Morgana."

"Why not?"

"It's not the time."

"And how is the timing not right?" asked Merlin.

His question was not answered as Morgana walked into their conversation and said," Arthur? Are you ready to go?" She stole a glance at Merlin before setting her eyes on Arthur.

"Yes, we must ride for Camelot," said Arthur, walking away from Merlin and his question.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Sorry everyone this took so long to come out! Another block came. And with that, another Mergana scene. I'm wondering if that's a good or bad habit, to make a Mergana scene when I'm blocked. Also, another sorry for the crappy ending.**

**Anyways, I'd like to once again give thanks to everyone who takes time out of their day to view my fanfic and another thanks to those who follow, favorite, and/or review this story. It really does make me smile to see my number of views, followers, reviews, and favorites go up. I wasn't expecting my first fanfiction to gain this much attention. So, thank you all!**

**As always, thank you (I think that's the fourth or fifth time I've said thanks in this A/N lol) for reading this chapter and please review! **


	14. Return

**Warning: There is a child death in this chapter (I feel like this didn't need to be a warning, but just a precaution)**

* * *

"What is it you want, hunter? I'm very busy at present moment," said Uther to a warlock and witch hunter who appeared into the throne room. On most occasions, he would have been delighted to see another sorcerer brought to justice, but there were more pressing matters at hand with the disappearance of his son and his illegitimate daughter.

"I've heard, Sire. Which is why I've come with a gift to raise your mood. More special than the ones I've given you in the past," said the hunter, a smile creeping onto his face.

"How so, hunter?" Uther inquired.

"It is a delicate matter. Sire, if you will?" asked the hunter, gesturing for him to come outside, which Uther followed, intrigued.

* * *

The four made their way back to Camelot. Merlin attempted to approach Arthur about the revelation of Morgana's father, but he seemed to be distancing himself from his servant. There wasn't even one wise-crack joke or insult to one another in the last three hours, an occasion that was quite rare for the friends. Morgana also seemed distant from Merlin. However, that did not stop the stolen glances that they threw at each other, where their cheeks would turn red and they would quickly look away. It was a quiet return to Camelot. Until Gwen broke the silence by having a private conversation with Merlin as they were beside each other on their horses as Arthur and Morgana rode on.

"Merlin?" said Gwen quietly, but enough for Merlin to hear.

"Yes Gwen?" Merlin replied, his eyes trained on the trail ahead. The trail ahead oddly had flowing black hair that, when turned around, showed a beautiful face.

"You and the Lady Morgana?" asked Gwen, smiling at her friend's gaze.

"You and Prince Arthur?" countered Merlin, changing his view to Gwen.

"Don't you start Merlin!" Gwen said, laughing quietly. "Care to elaborate with me?"

Merlin rolled his eyes at his prying friend which Gwen noticed and rolled her eyes as well. She was happy for the two of them, whatever type of relationship they were obviously sharing. Weeks ago, Merlin had carried a look of a lost puppy and an air of loss and depression after a few days of happily walking the streets of Camelot and often humming. She had often tried to get him to open up, but he pushed her away and tried to convince her he was fine when he obviously was not. She often wondered if love had been a factor of this sudden turn from extreme happiness to depression. She knew herself that love had the power to invoke the most blissful feelings, but it also had the power to create a deep void of grief in the heart. She knew it from the few times she had with Arthur alone, but also from the sleepless nights when she realized it could never happen the way she wanted it to. She often stole a glance at Arthur, the way Merlin did to Morgana. She even noticed him look back, as if looking behind for bandits or something of the sense, and noticed him train his eyes on her for fleeting seconds before looking ahead once more. Morgana often did the same to Merlin. Gwen found it sort of cute how the four were acting with each other as the influences of their hearts began to take flight.

* * *

Arthur, Gwen, Morgana, and Merlin reached Camelot with no trouble. They had not run into any bandits, Camelot patrols, guards, none of the sort. Arthur found it odd. The woods were always crawling with bandits and the patrols had been increased out of his father's search for Morgana. For his sister. He often found himself comparing himself to Morgana for any signs of being siblings. They looked nothing alike. His hair was blonde and straight, while hers was wavy and black. Her eyes were a piercing gray, while his were blue. His skin was even tanner than hers. Yet, despite all the physical characteristics where they had contrasted, he could not overlook the similarities of their personalities. For one, they had both inherited their father's temper. They both had their share of temper tantrums as children and their temper still got the best of them, with Arthur almost killing his father because of the ghost of his mother and Morgana's outburst in the throne room days ago.

"The prince and the Lady Morgana have returned to Camelot with their servants! Alert the king!" called a voice on the guard towers of the castle.

"Welcoming committee," muttered Arthur.

Somehow, the four were still able to ride into town without any apprehension from the guards. This struck Arthur as odd. That was until they rode into town square and they saw Uther presiding over an execution of a sorcerer. A sorcerer that the four were all too familiar with. One who Merlin feared. One who would have played an important role in the kingdom that Arthur and Gwen would build. One who shared a special connection with Lady Morgana.

They had witnessed the execution of the druid boy. Mordred.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Honestly guys, I plan almost none of this.**

** I'm sorry to the Mordred fans! I myself like Mordred, my profile pic is of him (I like child Mordred better, which makes this even worse). But there is a reasoning to his death! Trust me! **

**So yeah, I'm sorry this took so long to type up. School has been killer on me, but I still promise to update at least once or twice a week! **

**Also, I hate to be a self-promoting author, but I have a new fanfic up! It's about a child of Merlin and Morgana after Camlann (it's explained how Morgana lived). That is more of a side project of mine for when I'm blocked since True Extent is more my main project, so updates on that may take longer than this. But I would still love for you all to check it out and the updates shouldn't be too long! **

**Thank you for reading and please review! **


	15. Loss

_"Sister, sister," hissed a voice in the darkness, as if it had come from the walls of the castle. "Give in. They deserve punishment. He deserves it. For the sake of the boy." _

_"Yes, yes he does!"_

* * *

Guards. The many guards of Camelot descended upon the chambers of Uther when his manservant had attempted to wake him up that morning. However, no one could awaken the dead. Uther was found, sprawled onto the floor with his bed sheets soaked in his blood, a dagger through the heart and he was doused in water for unexplainable reasons. The king was dead. Camelot found itself without a monarch. The guards who had been stationed near the King's chambers that night reported that they remember guarding the chambers with no disturbance. However, they were also reported to be suffering a mild, peculiar headache. All of the guards who had been there suffered this.

"Father!" cried the prince, rushing into the chambers. His voice was desperate, as if he was holding onto the slightest hope that the king was alive and well. Such a hope was not fulfilled. The prince found himself an orphan. And the inheritor of the crown in the next several hours, but it did not matter to him at all. He wanted his father back. He did not want the crown so early.

"Who did this?" demanded Arthur, fighting back the urge to cry. _No man is worth your tears_, he thought to himself.

A guard fearfully stepped out and said, "That remains unknown, sire."

"Then make it known!" snapped the prince. "Get to it! All of you! Now! Get out!"

Merlin, who had been by the prince's side when they were informed of the assassination, had followed him to the king's chambers and was silently standing in the corner. He hated to admit it, but he felt apathetic to the king's death. He agreed with Morgana, he was tyrannical, ruthless leader. The leader did have some good qualities, determination being his strongest. It still did not overlook his bad qualities. However, he could feel Arthur's hurt. The broken expression he tried to hide behind his snappy visage was visible to anyone who spent almost all their time with him. "Arthur," he began.

"No, Merlin," he interrupted at once.

"But, Sire- " he attempted to console him once more.

"Merlin! Go! Make yourself useful! Get Morgana!" he snapped, before relaxing his face and continuing. "I think it would be best if she heard it from you first. Now leave me!"

Merlin hesitated for a moment. He did not know whether to stay by his best friend's side as he suffered through this tragedy or to follow his instructions and leave him. However, he saw Arthur's murderous face turn into a pleading expression, one that begged the world to leave him in peace as he mourned, and his mind was made up. He left the chambers and proceeded to Morgana's, leaving him to lie on the floor staring into his dead father's motionless body.

Upon opening the door, he found Gwen in hysterics. He had not known that the news of the king's death had spread throughout the castle so quickly. They had just discovered minutes ago.

"Merlin! There's something I need to tell you," she said, grabbing his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

"I know, the king is dead. I was just there," he said, placing his hand on her arm. "I need to talk to Morgana."

"Uther is dead?" said a surprised Gwen. "This is unbelievable! This can't be happening right now."

"Exactly, I need to talk to Morgana about it. She needs to know," explained Merlin. "Arthur thought it would be best if she heard it from me."

"Merlin, that's the thing," she said, reattaching her hand onto his shoulder as he taken it off earlier. "Morgana. She's nowhere to be found."

Merlin felt the world around him sink away as he fell to the ground on his knees in defeat.

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, this has got to be the shortest chapter (but with the most plot action) that I've ever written. You wouldn't believe the struggle I had with this chapter. I just kept getting blocked over and over again. That sort of explains why this took forever to get out, including the fact that school's hell. I'm sorry everyone! Next chapter will not take me an entire week to write. Promise!**

**We're actually nearing the end here. I believe there's about six to seven chapters at the most before this is over, but I can't be positive so don't be surprised if we get another ten chapters. It all depends on what comes to mind, but I do know how the story will end. But worry not, I do intend there to be a sequel! I've even got the sequel's initial plot planned out and I'll see how it goes from there when I release it. **

**And, I think that's it. Thanks so much for reading and leave a review if you can! I love getting emails on my phone, saying there's a new review/follow/favorite. The next chapter should be out by Friday or Saturday! **

_**P.S. To those who read Child of Dawn and Dusk, my other fanfic, the next chapter will not take so long to get out. The chapter is halfway done. And I've finally decided that it will be a multi-chapter story instead of a three-shot.**_**_I got an amazing idea on what to do with its plot and it got me excited enough to make up my mind. _**


	16. Reign

**Author's Notes: Just a simple transition chapter**

* * *

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Eventually, a year passed by in Camelot since that fateful day. So much had changed within that year. Arthur took the throne and ushered in several changes to his reign. Knights were no longer supposed to be of the nobility, any man who showed great skill and courage would be admitted into their ranks. Gwaine, Lancelot, Elyan, and Lancelot's friend Percival joined Leon into the ranks of the knights of Camelot. Then, Gwen and Arthur were finally allowed to pursue a public, romantic relationship.

However, Camelot faced her hardships and trials along with the new changes. The biggest trial was the love triangle between Lancelot, Arthur, and Gwen. It seemed as if Lancelot had come to terms on the love between the king and the servant ever since he returned to Camelot. He was even one of the first to cheer upon discovering the two's engagement and he was made a groomsman along with the other knights and Merlin. All seemed well. However, the night before the wedding, Arthur stumbled upon seeing his future wife and his knight held together in a passionate kiss in the throne room. Eventually, Gwen was banished from the kingdom. Lancelot, however, was nowhere to be found by morning. It was a mystery and tragedy that darkened Arthur's mood and left Camelot in a state of shock. Merlin tried his best to cheer the king up, even attempted him to push past the incident and begin anew with Gwen. But the king was far too betrayed and hurt to listen to Merlin. To listen to his heart.

Agravaine, brother of Arthur's mother, joined the court of Camelot as Arthur's adviser. He helped the young king transition into his newfound kingly lifestyle and how to handle matters of state. He had a forceful personality, always advising Arthur to do things that would prove himself to the other kingdoms even if it went against the king's morals. This included advising him to execute Gwen after her betrayal, among many other things. Merlin and Gaius had small suspicions on the adviser, but not enough evidence and assurance to alert the king. They kept their guard up, however.

Magic remained outlawed throughout the realm. It was one of the things that Arthur did not change, the unintentional reminder of Uther's reign. Somehow, the old king had managed to drill through the new king's thick skull that magic would forever be a plague on the land. All Merlin could do was to remain by the king's side and one day hope for magic to return.

The search for Morgana continued, despite the rumors that circulated among the court. It was not uncommon to hear the nobles speak of "betrayal" and "assassin" when it came to a private discussion of the Lady Morgana, but the nobles dare not speak of that in front of the king. However, Merlin would hear such discussion, no one knew of his secret and short relationship with her besides Arthur and Gwen, in passing as he performed his duties and it struck a hole into his heart. Hearing her name, hearing such accusations associated with it, it often made him want to throw the nobles from the tallest tower in the palace. The worst part was, however, was that a part of him knew it would be the inevitable truth. Her disappearance and his death, all after the death of Mordred whom Morgana cared deeply for, it was not a coincidence. Merlin knew it and he hated himself for knowing it. However, he followed the knights on the search for Morgana every chance he could get. He refused to believe she was dead or her heart had turned dark completely. The memories they shared together for that brief amount of time, the way she smiled at him, these could not have come out of a person whose heart was not in the right place. The knights could never figure out why Merlin seemed to be leading the searches, why he rode on with strong determination, why he made sure to check everywhere before moving on, why he stared intently at the fire with a broken expression. All the knights didn't know, except for Arthur. He tried to cheer up his servant, but nothing could the pain off of the warlock's mind.

* * *

**Author's Notes: As said at the top, this was simple and short transition chapter, the events of a year into Arthur's reign. I know lately my chapters have been short, but the next ones will be longer. Next chapter will have more action and should throw us into the beginning of the end, the start of the ending plot. I can't believe it was only last month I got onto FF and started this story. Time goes by fast.**

**Also, a few days ago, I hit 10k views on this fanfic. You wouldn't believe my excitement. Thank you so much to all of you! **

**Anyways, thanks for reading and please review! Next chapter should be out by Wednesday or Thursday! **


	17. Preparations

A blonde-haired woman walked into the throne room of the kingdom of Essetir. The guards nodded in respect and fear towards the woman who might as well have been ruling the kingdom from her hold on the king. The king seemed to be her obliging pet, rarely disobeying the woman who wielded the great power of a High Priestess.

"My Lady Morgause," said the long-haired king, looking up from the papers he was examining.

"Cendred," she replied simply. "Are the armies ready?"

"Always to the point, aren't you? Why not sit down, dine with me, drink some wine?" asked the king, gesturing her to a table. "Then we can talk about such dark matters."

"There is no time for this!" snapped Morgause. "Camelot is at its weakest point! We must make haste!"

"Weak? Camelot?" asked Cendred in disbelief.

"While your ignorance only examines the exterior of Camelot, with its near-impenetrable citadel and powerful knights, I see weakness deep within their walls. The king, left heartbroken and lonely. His manservant, who you do not yet realize his power, left the same as his king. A spy on our side, one who is deep within the broken king's inner circle. The siege tunnel schematics, in our hands. These are the factors in which I see that will grant us victory over Camelot!" said Morgause dramatically.

"You have the siege tunnel schematics to Camelot?" asked Cendred incredulously.

"I never disappoint while you always seem to," remarked Morgause smugly. "Such plans could be in your hands if you were to only hurry up!"

"May I remind that even with siege tunnel plans and my army ready, which is near, this powerful and supposed magical _manservant_ of the king's I've heard you speak of so often is still a present force within the walls?" said Cendred.

"He may be powerful, but he is still no match for a High Priestess," remarked Morgause.

"You've mentioned before that he has once defeated you in duel," stated Cendred.

Morgause gave a scowl and said, "Not me. The other High Priestess."

"What makes her any more different from you? I recall that you've have a lifetime to study the ways of the High Priestesses while she only had months."

"That is very true," said a new voice, emerging from the darkness, her face flickering in the torchlight. "I may be weak. I may be inexperienced. But, there are things that neither of you will ever understand. He won't know what hit him when I'm on the scene."

"Sister, shouldn't you be attending to our prisoner?" asked Morgause, shocked by her sister's sudden appearance. "She too must be prepared for our attack. She wished to return to Camelot? Well, we let us grant this wish of hers."

"Oh, she's ready. More than ready," said Morgause's sister.

"Then, the day when the citizens of Camelot bow down to us is soon approaching then," said Morgause proudly.

"I can already hear their words. 'Queen Morgana Pendragon!' My _brother_ and Mer- his servant will never see it coming."

* * *

**Author's Notes: I'm horrible at keeping promises. I know I promised this two days ago, but life got in the way. As usual. And I know I promised action and the beginning of the ending plot and a longer chapter, but this is just another short transition chapter. Next chapter, I swear will be the attack. And it will be longer than the chapters I have been posting lately. **

**I'm really sorry! But thank you all for your patience and for reading this chapter. Not required, but I'd really love some reviews! The next chapter will be out by next Friday! **

_**PS: To those who read Child of Dawn and Dusk, there will be an update sometime this weekend, hopefully tomorrow. **_


	18. Throne

Destruction. Death. Carnage. Hopelessness. Loss. Betrayed. These were only a few words to describe the state of the once great and impenetrable kingdom of Camelot. It all happened so fast, so unexpectedly. The effect, however, was timeless.

Merlin had been preparing the king for bed when warning bells sounded throughout the castle. Quickly, the king's armor was put on as the two rushed through the castle to discover the lower town overrun with many of Essetir's men as they defeated many of Camelot's guards who had been caught off-guard by their sudden intrusion. The men of Essetir were quickly advancing towards the citadel, taking lives wherever they went. The citizens of the lower town managed to escape from their wrath and took shelter in the nearby woods. The army did not care to follow as they continued their advancement towards the citadel. Towards the king. Towards the throne.

The army, of course, was led by King Cendred. To his right-side was a woman with long flowing blonde hair and was whispering incantations that caused many of Camelot's men to fly off into the air every time they neared them. To the king's left side was a man whose appearance by the enemy stabbed Arthur in the heart for that man was his uncle, his most trusted advisor. The man whom he had trusted with Camelot's most secret plans and affairs. The man who had access to the siege tunnel plans without catching suspicion.

"Arthur!" Merlin cried at the king's sudden pause from seeing his close advisor ride so closely with two well-known enemies. The king and the warlock had been running down the castle to get to the scene of battle when the witnessed the army's leaders through the window. Fortunately, the two had not noticed the two other people within the group. "Arthur, we need to hurry down there!"

The king was not moving, so Merlin did the best he could to get him moving. He slapped him.

"I'm back! And I swear Merlin, if you do that ever again-" The king began.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, throw me in the dungeons, put me in the stocks, whatever! You can do that once we make sure you still have dungeons and stocks to throw me in!" Merlin exclaimed.

Arthur shut up at once as they found themselves at the threshold of the castle, soon to enter the fray. Seconds later, they were joined by Sir Percival, Sir Gwaine, Sir Leon, and Sir Elyan. All were ready for combat, wearing their armor and holding their swords.

"Ready, men?" Arthur asked, raising his sword.

"Well actually, I think a quick drink would be good and then I'll be ready," joked Gwaine. The rest of them shot him a look and he responded with silence.

"For Camelot!" shouted Arthur, with the others repeating his battle cry.

* * *

The battle was over before it began. The enemies had already taken the lower town. Their advancement to the citadel was met by Camelot's army, but the calls for retreat unfortunately came from the defending army. The knights immediately charged into the battle, making their way to the front lines. Merlin found himself at the sidelines, hidden so he could have the freedom to use his magic to aid the battle.

As he raised his hand to channel the magic, he put it down immediately when a person among the enemies suddenly stepped out of the circle that Morgause, Cendred, and Agravaine formed. It was Morgana. Merlin felt his heart pound and watched as his entire world moved in slow motion. Morgana. Among the circle of enemies. With her sister. Merlin could not believe his eyes. Every part of him wanted to run up to her, save her from their hands, to _free_ her. But, his mind would not relent. He was paralyzed. After an entire year of thinking what happened to his beloved, thoughts that included death, kidnap, starvation, here she stood alive and well. Among the enemy. His love destroying everything he loved. Fate could be cruelly funny sometimes.

"GUINEVERE!" shouted Arthur's voice. This captured Merlin's attention immediately. He took a second glance at the front lines of the enemy army. Behind Morgana was a gagged Gwen, her hands bound together with rope while Morgause held onto her like a person walking a dog. Anger boiled inside Merlin, an anger that he knew was a simple annoyance when compared to Arthur's rage to see his former fiancée treated in such a manner. The king charged straight into the front lines, clearing a path to make his way towards her.

"Arthur!" Merlin said, running after his friend. A part of him did this to protect his friend from making the horrible and deadly mistaking of charging into enemy lines. The other part did this to be near Morgana to discover how she ended up this way.

Suddenly, the battle froze in time. Armies frozen, swords hung in mid-swing, arrows stuck in the air. Merlin could feel and see everything freeze, which was not supposed to be possible for the spell that he knew had been cast. The spell, which was highly powerful and required a great deal of energy, was designed to freeze time, only allowing a small amount of people to move during the frozen time. Everyone else was to be unaware of the time freeze. Everyone except Merlin. He shifted his eyes towards the middle of the battle, where Morgana, Morgause, Guinevere, and Arthur stood. Cendred and Agravaine had become frozen along with everyone. It seemed only those four where capable of movement.

"Well, well, well, the great king of Camelot stands before us," said Morgause, shifting her eyes to Morgana. Morgause held Guinevere in a threatening position. She was kneeled in front of her, with a sword centimeters from her throat. It was so close that the slightest wind could cause the sword to draw blood. Morgana stood before Arthur, her eyes shooting daggers. Her hair had become a tangled mess. She was everything that Kilgarrah had feared. A witch. _No, _Merlin thought, _I refuse to believe that she's gone dark. _

"Morgana, what –" Arthur began.

"No, you do not get to speak!" Morgause interrupted at once. "Arthur, allow me to make this quick and simple: Give us the throne of Camelot or watch this serving girl die before your eyes."

"Arthur, please don't!" Guinevere exclaimed.

"Hush you!" Morgana said at once in a tone that was so evil, it sounded alien coming from her mouth.

"Yes, be quiet or your fate will be decided by us instead of your dear _Arthur_," threatened Morgause. "I'm asking you again, Arthur, throne or serving girl? Which one would you rather lose?"

"None of you have ANY right to the throne!" shouted Arthur.

"Lying never suited you dear _brother_," Morgana sneered.

"You knew?"

"You should be careful who you tell your secrets to. Our dear uncle's loyalties, as you have witnessed tonight, are not in your favor," said Morgana. "How could you Arthur? How dare you keep this a secret from me? You knew! You knew of my relation to your tyrant of a father? You have NO right to keep such information from me! NONE AT ALL!" Tears could be seen welling up in her face.

Arthur silenced at once. "Throne or Gwen, Arthur? Which one do you sacrifice? Power or love?" Morgana said, echoing her sister's words.

And Arthur said the most fateful and deadliest word of all.

"Throne."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Aren't cliffhangers the best? I personally hate them, but now I understand why writers love them so much. **

**Anyways, the next chapter will probably be out on Friday or Saturday. I'm personally excited for it. **

**Thank you so much for reading and please, please review! I love them a lot! **


	19. Lady

"Camelot is lost. The Once and Future King is imprisoned, along with some of Camelot's best knights. The rest of the knights and the citizens of Camelot are scattered throughout the woods with a knowing feeling in their hearts and mind that it's only a matter of time before they were found with their fates left in the hands of Morgause."

"Do not forget Morgana. She is also involved in the start of this chaos."

"That's why I came."

"Morgana? You want me to help you with Morgana? How much thicker could you be?"

"Please, you're all I have left. Please."

* * *

_Flashback_

_Merlin stood hidden at the gates of Camelot. He could not believe that he was going to abandon the once great kingdom of Camelot in its most desperate hour of need. But he had no choice. He looked to the broken vial in his hand._

_It had once contained waters from the Lake of Avalon, but had been broken long ago. Arthur had returned the vial to Camelot from his rite of passage quest to the Fisher King, claiming that he had no idea it had been in his pack. He simply ignored the vial and had thrown it at Merlin in one of his morning "throws". The strange thing was that the vial did not break, even upon being smashed upon the wall. Merlin took it, his curiosity stirring. He then tried to break the vial on his own. This time, it shattered. A voice had emanated from the water._

_"Come to my origin in your hour of need. It is not the time yet."_

_The hour of need had arrived. And ever did Merlin need it. The journey to Avalon was a long and treacherous path. He knew Camelot did not have the time for him to make that journey on foot or on horse._

_"O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!" Merlin spoke, summoning the Dragonlord within him. Seconds later, the sound of large wings flapping in the distance could be heard._

_"Young warlock, it has been quite a while since we've spoken last," he said._

_"The last time we spoke, I wanted you to help me in finding Morgana," replied Merlin. "Does your answer remain?"_

_"The Lady Morgana cannot be trusted! She is a witch, surely you've noticed the wake of that, have you not?" answered the dragon at once. "The prophecies and future I've Seen are riddled with her darkness and destruction."_

_"I seem to recall that those 'prophecies and future' also contain a particular druid boy named Mordred being the death of Arthur? Tell me, how can one who is dead kill another?" countered Merlin._

_"Warlock. What is it that you require?" asked the dragon, changing the subject._

_"Take me to Avalon," stated Merlin. "Please."_

_"May I inquire how a trip to the mystical lake will solve your predicament?" he asked._

_A moment of silence came to be. Merlin really had no idea why he was going to Lake Avalon. Sure, the vial had told him to come in his most desperate hour, but he was not sure that was the entire reason for his visit._

_"I- I don't know. Please, Great Dragon, I'm desperate. I need help, anything," said Merlin. "You know I would never force you to do something that you would not want to. But, I might have to betray my morals in this case. Please."_

_"There is no need to, young warlock. I will take you to the Lake of Avalon. I'm aware that this, in some way, will aid the witch. But I've witnessed something here that could never have been Seen. Something that cannot be denied," he said, extending his wing for Merlin to get on._

_"What would that be?" asked Merlin as he got on._

_"Something powerful," said the dragon quietly before taking flight._

* * *

Merlin arrived at the Lake of Avalon in less than five minutes. The dragon flew away, leaving him on his own. Kilgarrah would return once Merlin completed his mission. He looked over the mystic lake. From his very first visit, he had felt the great magical pull of the lake. And every time he came back, the sense of magic intensified, as if it was reacting to his presence.

He sat by the water, closed his eyes, and waited. Please, he mentally begged the lake. Please.

"Open your eyes, Merlin," said a very familiar voice.

"Freya?" he guessed before opening his eyes to see his prediction come true.

"Yes, it is me," she replied. She hovered over the water, with a mist that conjured up behind her, giving her an eerie, yet pleasant appearance. She still wore the dress that she had been buried in, the one that had once belonged to Morgana. Her face was full of life, despite her death. She bore a smile in the face of her former flame. Merlin attempted to give her a friendly hug, but she hovered deeper into the lake before slowly returning.

"The dead may not be touched by the living," she said sadly.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"I became the Lady of the Lake. It is long, and difficult, story. I assure you, one day, you will be able to hear it. But time is of the essence now."

"Camelot is lost. The Once and Future King is imprisoned, along with some of Camelot's best knights. The rest of the knights and the citizens of Camelot are scattered throughout the woods with a knowing feeling in their hearts and mind that it's only a matter of time before they were found with their fates left in the hands of Morgause," explained Merlin.

"Do not forget Morgana. She is also involved in the start of this chaos," warned Freya.

"That's why I need help," said Merlin.

"Morgana? You want me to help you with Morgana?" scoffed Freya.

"Please, you're all I have left. Please," begged Merlin.

"I understand. In my lifetime, I am glad that I was able to experience love. I know, of all people, that you deserve to know love. I would be honored to help," said Freya. "There is a way to save Camelot and release Morgana from the darkness that has befallen her. It requires the most sacred magical rule of all. Do you know of it?"

"Yes, but how does it help?" asked Merlin.

"Allow me to show you." The mist the surrounded Freya converged onto Merlin. It showed him a vision. One that would be the answers to all his problems.

"It is the only way," said Freya.

"I know," answered Merlin grimly.

* * *

**Author's Notes: More cliffhangers... I'm so sorry guys! Trust me, it will all make sense soon! **

**Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review! **


	20. Fate

Freya asked, "Are you ready to do this?"

Merlin sat by the Lake of Avalon. He had rested there for about two days. He would leave that day. Over the course of his stay, he was a silent wall. Unmoving, quiet, stunned with the decision he was going to make. Freya often stood, or hovered, by him over the water which glinted by her presence. As he sat by the lake, she told him of her story after her death. He did not often respond aside from nods, but his intent gaze proved he listened. There was many she could not reveal, as death would forever be the greatest mystery known to man. But, she did reveal that it was prophesized that she would have the ability to cross the veil between Life and Death to watch over the mystical lake and aid Camelot in her time of need. When she wasn't retelling her story, she often asked the question that Merlin was not able to answer until now.

Merlin replied, "I have to."

"Many people who praise their own wisdom have said we always have a choice when it comes to fate and destiny. We're destined to confront those choices, and our choices determines our fate," Freya pondered out loud. "Do you believe that Merlin?"

"No," admitted Merlin. "But who says that this has to do with fate? All my life, it's seemed that fate determines the life I have and it gives me no choices. I was fated to have magic, no choice in the matter. I was fated to come to Camelot, believing there would be answers to my magic there but it only led me to more of fate's cruel games. I was fated to meet Arthur and become his silent protector, once again no choice in the matter. And the one time I felt I had a choice, fate once again proved that it controlled my life."

"What choice was that?" asked Freya, already knowing the answer.

"The choice I was going to make when I wanted to run away with you," Merlin said. "And you know how fate punished me for making a choice? By ending your life, the life of my first love."

Freya blushed and said, "Don't you think it's a little arrogant to believe life and fate revolve around you?" There was no hint of accusation or mockery in her voice, it was a legitimate question. "Remember, I made the choice to leave you behind. And how fate treated me? I died so I could return to you when you needed help most. What I'm saying is that fate works in a way that it gets its way. Merlin, you're destined for great things. It's one of the many things I've learned since I became the Lady of the Lake and guardian of Avalon. This? Merlin, you're destiny states nothing, nothing, about this. Yours and Morgana's destiny intertwine, that cannot be denied, but fate decrees that this is not how they entwine."

Merlin smiled slyly and said, "Exactly, Freya, exactly. For once, fate will listen to me. I learned long ago love is the strongest force of all. Fate is a force, in a sense."

"Be careful when you play with fate's design, Merlin. Like I said, it will always get its way," warned Freya with a smile. She then looked into the distance and continued, "Maybe you're right. Just maybe."

"I have to go," Merlin said.

"I know."

"Will I see you again?"

"If fate so decrees, then so it shall be."

Merlin brushed off her last comment. He had enough of "fate" and "destiny". He had lived his entire life by it. His entire life, devoted to "fate's cruel design". No longer would he live by prophecies. He would live by his own _choices_, his own _decisions_, and his own _design_. After all, sometimes you had to do what you think is right and damn the consequences.

* * *

**Author's Notes: First of all, I am so, so, so, so, SO sorry this took FOREVER to be updated. Life for me has become busy and, well complicated (Don't worry it's nothing serious, it's just small problems that leave a big effect on me.) But don't worry, I do not ever plan to give this fanfic up. I will live it to its end. But yeah, I'm sorry this was only a short transition chapter compared to the long wait for it. I promise, next chapter, we will get to some action and drama. **

**And I just ****_love_**** that last quote I put into the chapter. In case you're wondering why its familiar, it's what Morgana told Arthur when Merlin was poisoned by Nimueh and Arthur wasn't allowed to leave the castle to find the antidote flower. Honestly, it's probably my favorite quote from the entire series. I knew from the beginning I would incorporate it somehow into the fanfic. **

**Also, I am very sorry I wasn't able to personally thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Like I said, busy life. But I did appreciate everything you all told me, as I always do. Please keep them coming! **

**And, as always, thank you so much for reading and please leave a review! I'll try not to make the wait so long again!**

_**P.S. To my Child of Dawn and Dusk readers, I want to apologize so much for the lack of updates. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but as you know, my life has been very busy as of late. Plus, I'm sort of at a writer's block when it comes to CoDaD. I will probably skip to the main plot of the story, since I am out of ideas for the one-shots. So do expect an update soon! Again, many apologies! **_


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